Enhancing Your Personal Brand Through Social Media

Written by:  Stephanie Markadonatos

It has never been easier to promote yourself through the digital world.  From Facebook to Tumblr the possibilities are endless.  There is also a right way and wrong way to enhance your reputation.  For instance, what is fine to post on your Facebook page and Twitter account may not be acceptable on professional networking sites like LinkedIn.  In fact, its definitely a good idea to make two accounts for all social media outlets you belong too, one personal and one professional.  Remember, once you hit that “Send” key, its digital footprint is never deleted.

A great way to develop your credibility and reputation is to have a professional blog.  Here you will be able to show off your accomplishments, work, awards, and share your knowledge on topics in industries you are interested in.  Starting your own blog that you can tailor to your interests is a great way to attract individuals who are interested in the same subjects as you are.  This can create great networking opportunities and build strong bonds.  Some good places to check out and start a free blog are: Wordpress, Blogger, Weebly.

LinkedIn is a great resource to use and build credibility on a professional level.  The individuals here are serious about their profile and are selective of articles and news that they post.  On this networking site you can show that you are an expert by posting relative articles and connecting with individuals who feel they can gain from your knowledge.  You can place your personal blog in your profile and have your connections go there to learn even more about you and your expertise.  Who knows, you can even get a job offer, make a new friend, or even gain a mentor.  The possibilities are endless.

On Facebook, you can promote yourself and your blog in posts.  As you may know, the community is a little more relaxed.  Everyone has a side they show their friends and another they show to the corporate world.  But, be careful in either case about what you post because businesses are actively using Facebook to screen new hires and look for reputable professionals that they can work with.  If you are a business, remember that one of the neat things about Facebook is if you run some promotions to get customers to “Like” your page their entire network sees this, hence viral marketing begins, and this automatically increases traffic to your business profile page.  After you have that following, you can use Facebook to announce special promotions, case studies, and other significant information which draws in your next customer. 

Personal branding is all about creating a positive online presence that shows you are an expert and gives a little glance into your personal life.  The goal should be to attract people who feel the same way on subjects and gain a following.  You want to be active on social networking sites so you can show up in your connections streams and make them aware that you are there.  This way, when a potential opportunity opens up, you will be one of the first on their minds.  To make sure your reputation is not negative in anyway, go through your current profiles and delete posts, pictures, etc that can damage your credibility.  A great site to use and check on yourself is Pipl.  Pipl, a people search engine relies on multiple sources to find as much information it can, there are other sites like Spokeo, Spock, Zabasearch.com, and 123 People that are decent engines to try out as well.  I was amazed at what I found on myself.  Pipl located my childhood homes with my parent's name and other accounts I opened up in high school and college.  I was surprised to see that one of my college professors published a paper I wrote.  Even more surprising was seeing my multiple profiles being located.  I did everything possible to keep a couple hidden and they somehow were pulled up.

One thing that I recommend is to make multiple accounts for your social media networks.  This way, you can keep your professional life separate from your personal life. I would personally recommend having two Facebook accounts.  I have filled out applications recently where they are requiring me to put down my Facebook account.  I was unable to move on in the electronic application process until I provided one.  I would also make multiple emails account, so you are harder to track.  Who knows, it might be worth deleting your personal Facebook page, especially if you are being serious about keeping your reputation professional. 
                                
Make sure  you aren't sabotaging your own reputation in hopes of trying to brand yourself.  Just putting your name out there isn't a sign that you are credible or an expert.  While there are many social media platforms to belong to, make sure you select ones that you know you have time to contribute to so you seize the opportunity to grow within that community and showcase your credibility by posting valid articles and offering genuine advice.                 

Here is the social media checklist that I use:                

• Make multiple accounts for your social networking sites 
• Keep your friends and professional life separate
• Consider having multiple email accounts for social media sites you belong to
• If you have a FB account, make sure you have all the privacy you need - Get alerts when friends mention you or want to put a photo up of you, make sure photo books are hidden, clean up your "Info" section
• Search yourself out every couple of months using multiple People Finder search engines - Go to those sites that pop up and find out how you can get rid of them
• Don't Tweet article after article making it seem like you read them just to give yourself more credibility - Post relevant material that you took the time to read and you feel builds your credibility and knowledge
• Starting a personal blog is a great way to build your credibility - This is where you have complete control of what is posted about yourself and what you want others to know about who you are